NFL Draft prospect of the day: Western Michigan OT Chukwuma Okorafor

Chukwuma Okorafor, OT, Western Michigan

Height: 6-6

Weight: 335

A native of Botswana who did not even see football before high school, Okorafor thrived almost right away at one of the MAC’s top programs. At a school where three tackles have gone onto the NFL to some degree in the last six years, Okorafor has the highest upside and best physical profile.

He’s played both right and left tackle in a run-heavy, pro-style offense. Okorafor earned a Senior Bowl invite (he later pulled out) and will be at the NFL Scouting Combine thanks to two straight all-conference honors.

I’ve had the opportunity to catch in person at least two of his Western Michigan games every season.

Pros

Power on the edge

For a left tackle, No. 77 really packs a punch. He’s very good at firing out his hands and striking defenders with a jolting blow. Okoroafor often follows it with powerful shoulders and good core strength. When he has his mark squared up, he can erase them from the field.

His power also shows when a rusher tries to bull him. As long as he can keep his feet underneath him, Okorafor anchors and redirects quite adeptly.

Length and strength

Okorafor is a very large human, but he is not uncomfortable with carrying 330-plus pounds on his 6-6 frame. He’s blessed with long arms and thick legs. Despite his massive size, he does have decent range and movement skills going forward.

Coachability

For a guy who has only been playing for a handful of years, Okorafor shows very quick intelligence and adaptability. It’s quite easy to see him adjust his game to what that day’s opponent calls for as he gains more experience against them. A move which beats him in the first quarter won’t get a sniff of success against him in the fourth, and he proved that against the top-level competition he played, including USC and Wisconsin.

Cons

Upright gait

A bigger problem in 2017 than earlier in his Broncos career, Okorafor had a bad tendency to pop up instead of out with his initial movement, particularly in pass protection. It leaves him vulnerable to shorter rushers but also defenders quick enough to cross his inside shoulder. This was noticeable even against lesser competition, including the Idaho and Akron games I attended last fall. He did appear to add about 8-10 pounds from his junior to senior seasons and that might be the culprit.

Slow feet wide

This often goes in hand with being too upright, but it’s also a separate issue. Okorafor can be slow to get his outside foot wide enough to set a hard corner for a wide-based edge rusher to get around. He has the length but doesn’t always use it effectively, notably against stand-up rushers like this rep against Toledo.

Passive approach

As with all Okorafor’s “cons”, this one isn’t a chronic problem but rather an issue which raises its ugly head periodically. He can be too willing to let the defender dictate the action, even in the run game. Many analysts will label him as slow-moving because of it, but my take from seeing him up close and talking to folks around the WMU program is that he’s sometimes afraid to make a big mistake and plays overly cautious.

Overall

Okorafor is a player I know very well, and one I pegged as a potential top-20 overall prospect entering the 2017 season. He did not play to that level last fall, looking heavier and stiffer than prior seasons. That doesn’t mean Okorafor lacks high-end pro potential, but it does lower his floor and raise the “bust” risk factor.

I see him as a ready-made starter at right tackle for an NFL team that doesn’t ask him to do too much laterally. In an offense like Bill O’Brien’s in Houston, where tight ends play a big role, he’s a very solid fit. If he rediscovers the more lithe athleticism he showed his sophomore and junior seasons, he can play left tackle capably.

Projected draft range: 25-50 overall

Where I’d take him: 4th round

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